The Women in Black: Madeleine St John

Reviewed by Samarra Hyde, Program Manager of CAE Book Groups

31 Mar 2009

The Women in Black is a delightful novel set in 1950s Sydney. It revolves around the lives of several women who are working at the Ladies’ Frocks Department at the famous F. G. Goode’s Department Store during a long hot Australian summer. Their hopes, fears, dreams, and romances unfold against the backdrop of a confined and changing society. As the New Year begins each of the characters finds themselves at the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. The Women in Black is both humorous and touching, with a subtle fabric of fairytale woven throughout.